Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in shares of Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,713 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 15,154 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.09% of Masco worth $14,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Masco by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,997,839 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,063,000 after acquiring an additional 520,555 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Masco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,157,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Masco by 91.6% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 708,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,440,000 after buying an additional 338,925 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Masco by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,250,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $235,881,000 after buying an additional 299,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Masco by 49.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares during the period. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Price Performance

Shares of MAS stock opened at $69.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Masco Co. has a 1-year low of $63.81 and a 1-year high of $86.70.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The construction company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. Masco had a return on equity of 838.32% and a net margin of 10.50%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Masco from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Masco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Masco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $96.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Masco from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Masco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total transaction of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Masco Company Profile

Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products.